Starter for internal-combustion engines.



R. B. & A. D. POULEY. STARTER FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES.APPLICATION 11.21) MAR.18, 1912.

1,094,097, Patented Apr. 21, 19%

2 SHEETS-$11231 1.

J3: Martina R. E. & A. D. POULEY. STARTER r011 INTERNAL COMBUSTIONENGINES,

APZPLIOATION FILED MAR.18, 1912. I

Patented Apr. 21, 191L 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

6 4 .V h 2 v 1 fiamimfi 4/ as re curios;

ROBE-RT E. PO'ULEY, OF CHICAGO, AND ARTHUR ID. POULEY, 0F WAUKEGAN,ILLINOIS.

STARTER INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES.

roaaoev.

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that we, Rosnn'r E. lonnnr and ARTHUR D. PooLnY, citizens ofthe United States, and residents, respectively, of the city of Chicago,county of Cook, and State of Illinois, and of the city oflVaukegan,county of Lake, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and:useful Improvements in Starters for Internal-Cont bustion Engines, ofwhich the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to improvements in. starters for internalcombustion engines, and has for its object a device of this characterwhich is of simple construction and etiicient in operation.

Our invention consists in the combinations and arrangements of partshereinafter described and claimed.

@ur invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanyingdrawings forming a part of this specification, and in which-Figure 1 isa front elevation of a device embodying our invention, Fig. 2, a rearelevation of the same, Fig. 3, a longitudinal section of the device,Fig. l, a section taken on line :17-w of Fig. 3, and Fig. 5, anelevation of a valve disk employed in the device.

The preferred form of construction, as illustrated in the drawings,comprises a valve casing 1 provided with a standard 2 by means of whichsaid casing may be mounted in any suitable or desired posi tion. Casingl is provided with a valve chamber 3 in which is arranged a rotatablevalve disk 4: hav ng a port 5, shown. Casing 1 is closed by a cap 6which is provided with a plurality of ports 7 there being a port 7 foreach of the cylinders of the engine with which the starter is to beused. The form of construction illustrated. is designed for a fourcylinder four cycle engine and therefore four ports 7 arranged at anglesof ninety degrees are provided. A pipe 8 connects each of the ports 7with a.

corresponding cylinder of the engine, said.

cylinders being connected in the order in which they are normally fired.

A shaft 9 is rotatably mounted in casing 1, as indicated, and valve disk4: is keyed to said shaft so as to rotate therewith. Shaft 9 is gearedto the engine shaft (not shown) to run in unison with the cylinders andthe pistons of the engine.

Specification of Letters lizitent.

Application filed March 18, 1912.

.normal operative stroke.

operations of the Patented Apr. 21, 1914.

Serial No. 684,473.

Thus in the form illustrated, shaft 9 is geared to the engine shaft torun at one.- half the speed thereof, so. that said shaft will make onerotation for each complete operation of the cylinders and pistons. For atwo cycle engine, shaft 9 would be geared to run at the same speed asthe engine shaft,

since, in a two cycle engine, the cylinders and pistons operate in,HDISOH with the engine shaft, that 1s, for each rotation of the engineshaft there is a complete operation of the cylinders and pistons;

The pipe 10 is connected with the valve chamber 3 in valve casing l andis provided with a check valve 11., as shown. Pipe 10 is connected witha source of compressed air or other starting fluid (not shown) so thatvalve chamber 3 and consequently port 5 will be constantly supplied withsaid starting fluid.

in use, shaft 9 is so connected or timed as to cause port 5 to registerwith each of the ports 7 successively and during the beginning and alarge portion of the normal ope "utive stroke of the piston in thecylinder connected with the corresponding port 7'. In a four cylinderfour cycle engine, unless the engine should happen to stop exactly onthe dead center, there is always one piston which stops during thisnormal operative stroke, and it seldom if ever happens that a fourcylinder engine stops on the dead center. This being so, and since port5 registers with the corresponding port 7 during the operative stroke ofthe piston in the corresponding cylinder, when the engine stops, it willstop with port 5 registering with the port 7 which is in communicationwith the piston which stopped during its Thus, if compressed air issupplied through pipe 10, this piston and the other pistons successivelywill be caused to make their operative strokes by said compressed airand the engine thus started. "When the engine starts operating normally,the supply of compressed air to pipe 10 is cut oil and the engineperi'nitted to run under its own power. /Vhen the explosions begin inthe engine cylinders, the compressed air will be excluded therefrom bythe high pressure therein and thus not interfere with the normaloperation of the engine cylinders. Check valve 11 auton'iatically closesto exclude the i the spark, as soon as an explosive mixture is formed,an explosion will take place and start the engine, after which eachcylinder will be successively supplied with the acetylene gas and theoperation of the engine continued. In this instance'check valve 11prevents communication of the explosion or high pressure to the sourceof the acetylene gas supply.

While we have illustrated and described the preferred form ofconstruction for carrvingour invention into eiiect, this is capable ofvariation and modification Without departing from the spirit of theinvention. We, therefore do not wish to be limited to the exact detailsof construction set forth, but desire to avail ourselves of. suchvariations and modifications as come within the scope of the appendedclaim.

Having described our invention, what we claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is:

A distributing valve comprising a casing inclosi'ng a cylindricalchamber, one Wall of said casing having an internal annular recesstherein located to one side of and concentric with said chamber, theouter periphcry of said recess being of less diameter than the peripheryof the chamber, the wall opposite said first mentioned wall havingspaced cylindrical ports disposed parallel with the axis of said chamberand registering with said recess, and the wall having said recess beingprovided with an inlet port substantially parallel with the axis of saidchamber and opening into said recess; an operating shaft journaledconcentrically in said casing; a disk carried by said shaft and snuglyfitting the walls of said chamber said disk having a perforationtherethrongh disposed parallel to and adapted to register consecutivelywith said cylindrical ports, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification inthe presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ROBERT E. POULEY. ARTHUR D. IOULEY. Witnesses JOSHUA R. H. Po'rrs,ARTHUR A. OLsoN.

